Engine



Feb. 19, 1924. v 4 R. G. FEAR ENGINE Filed March 30. 1920 Patented Feb. 19,

I Mrs!) 'j'SIIAHLE-S PATZE NT omen. Y

RALPH e. FEAR, onoAKLe-nn, CALIEQRNIA, ,nss onoa To amesona r se-a, A

.PARTNEBSI IIB'CDNSISTING or H. o. anoonsonenna. apnea.

1 ENGINE.

. A p-plicationfilediMarc h30,1320. s riatnmeeaeoo.

Toall whom it my-. c0n0em:

-Be;it known thitl'; I, ,RALBH G; :E AR, a citizenof the United States and-a residentof the city, .of Oakland,; county. of Alameda,

State of California, have'madea new and useful inventionfto .Wit i Improvements in Engines; and; Ldo hereby declare gtllfiafdllOW- .ing to be a; ifull, clear, concise, andv enact descriptioniof the same. I

This inventionorelates; moreaparticularly to'rotary engines. 7

Among .the I obj,ects-.of the invention. are to minimize internalfriction within the engine. and toaeliminate peripheral friction;

.to simplify ;the;.constr uction .and operation of the engine by;v reducing the .number of workingpartseand to. vary thecapacity of the engine by varying vthe -;diffe 1:ential fdisplacement; Other objects 1 and-advantages will appear-as thisgdescription progresses.

In this specification and the annexed drawings, the invention is illustrated in the form. considered to be the bestabut itsis, to be-..understood that @the ninvention' is not limited {to such .form,;beca;use it n1ay be. icinbodied in other-forrns; andit is; also to be understood that in and v by the I ,claiins .fol-

lowing :the description it: is' desired-to cover the invention in whatsoever forinit rnay be embodied.

The term spherical is used herein to define any form partaking. of the nature of. a sphere on any segment orpart of-a sphere. In the accompanying one-.sheet of draw- .lngs,

Fig. 1 1. is a plan view from aboveain horizontal section of an vengine constructed in accordance with this invention taken on :thedine I-I ctr-Fig.2.

4 "Fig.2., isfa side viewnof theisalne in crosssection takenon the line 2,2, Fig. ,3.

iFig. -3.. is. anend View iii-cross section takenon the ;line 3-13, Fig. 1.

4c. is a crosssectional. View .takenon line IV IV, -Fig. 1.

In detail the construction illustrated in theidrawings,includes the bed; 1 .liaving a cylindrical-bearing 2,;for rned thereon. ."llhis bearing is lined with thebu'shing; 3 composed- 'of 1 any :snitable anti-.tr-iction .metal flanged. outward at 4 to form,v a thrust hear- .ing. Adjacentto thesonteraend the.bearing 1 is providedwith :the intake port 5- and the outlet .@port.= .6, separated. by the segmental divisions -7;and; 8 located on the horizontal diameter. Y t '7 -The. easing ;,comprises the circular .base disc Shayinghe journal 10 forined' theregn and,rotatingc ithin-the bushingfi. journal. serves as .a' manifold, hayin three long udin P s age Bl 1 ipmie therein and open through the disc 9 at one end, andghaying; outward bypasses. 14,;1-5

26 and 27; passing ,throngh the. arcnate :slot

28 in the base, which ,n ianner fnmnnting the bearing .permits adjustmentofthe shaft :23, at any angle to ,the axisloii the shaftaor journal: 10. :Thebody of the piston} 24 .is formed in the vsegrnentrof a sphere snugly fitting the .interior of the casing 21, to perinit, anoscillating nioazement ofthepiston .ftheigein. ,Thei rface ofthe. piston is in /the {format a flatitrnncated eone, the angle, of its face 29 is on a parallel .plane with the vdisc 9;;Wh811 :theshaft, 28-is set ,attheextreine angle shown =Eigs 1: and 2. The hemispherical pivot 30 $18 set axially from. the Plane oi the disc 9;ft1ld I fits in'to-a similar socket in the; axis] of rthegrevolving. piston .24, the curve of the, socket being. concentric witlr-tliecuiwe oithe hemispherical Casing 21.10 perinitna free noyenient fthe pis- 1191124: with rrespectgto,thepiyot 30.

At inters als' the wanes 31, 32,1 and 33, entendingtoutward tromthepl-ane ofthe di so, 9,: enter snugly the,-slots 33 formed radifferential piyioting, ofJ thewanes in their lateral, .inoyement- --into, and out of. jthe islot 33. they; are mounted on the .trunnionsfi, engag ng lose. fitt ng. recesses forme r dially in the tene of the-disc'9. ELF-he outer e d Of fihfi trnnnions L34: ,are:- pitot 1-hetween the outer casing 21and the disc 9, in suitably formed sockets, the inner ends engage the suction cycle B. .The gradual enlargement of the space between the vanes 31 and the preceding vane 32 creates a suction on the intake port 6 through the manifold conduit 11 between the vanes 31 and 32,-whi'ch fills with air, water, or' whatever the pump may be connected with. This suction continues until the'vane 31 passes the segment 8 and cooperateswith the, segment 7 and the journal 10 to form a valve between the intake 6 and the outlet 5. Passing the segment 8; the chamber B begins to discharge into the outlet 5, initiating the discharge cycle, the vanes again pass between the segment' 7 to initiate the cycle A, that is neutral between the intake and the discharge. Each vane goes through the several cycles successively, in their turn sucking and fillingand discharging or emptying, the various cycles occuring in such short moments of time, that the action is continuous.

In the operation of this invention 'peripheral friction between the casing 21 and the piston '24. is minimized, since they are both rotating in unison in the same direction and the relative movement between them is the progressive reciprocation incidental to the angular set of their respective axes. The only other resistance that the piston 24 offers to the rotation in this man-' ner is the frictionof the shaft 23 in its bearings and any friction that may exist between these vanes and theirrespective sockets 33' incident to the weight of liquid being carried around The line of contact between th plane 9 of the disc and the face ofthe piston 24- at A forms the division between the intake and the discharge cycles irrespective of the number of vanes. The capacity or the differential displacement of the piston within the casing 21 may be varied at will by simply altering the angle of the axis of the shaft 23 with respect to the line of the axis of the shaft 19, which would accomplish a complete reversal in the operation of the intake and discharge. This gives control from the minimum to the 'maximum capacity of the pump it follows therefore that if the shaft 23 were in alignin any fixed position. It is obvious 'howeverthat where desirable any other means may be applied between the bearing 25 and thebase 1' for facilitating the adjustment of the shaft 23 for special purposes. 7

When used as amotor or prime mover a suitable fluid under pressure, or an expansive fluid such'as steam, compressed air or the like introduced through the inlet 6 passes through the port 11 enters between the vanes 31, and 32, and being unable to pass the contact point between the disc'9 and the piston 29-at A, forces the vane'32towards the opposite side completing the cycle B,

which is the greatest expansion or capacity,

the fiuidpressure or expansion pressure con-.

tinues to operate until the exhaust cycleis reachedf through the exhaust outlet 5. The operationcontinuing through the intake and exhaust cycle by rotation of the shaft 19 in a clockwise direction in accordance With the arrangement shown in Fig. 1. When it is desired to reverse the motor the shaft 23 is shifted to the opposite axial center of the shaft 19, which causes the reverse action of the fluid pressure against the vanes and causes the shaft 19 to rotate in a contra clockwise direction. All of' the variations from zero to full capacity in either direction of rotation are available by moving the axis of the shaft 23 from alinement with the axis of the shaft 18 angularlyin either di-' rection as previously described. 7

This form of engine lends itself particularly to use in connection with hydraulic transmissions involving two or more interconnecting units, whereby one serves as a driving unit for forcing oil or other suit able medium into and througha driven unit or units of the same construction, by means of which any speed ratio in either direction is available, from neutral to 'full capacity by varying either the prime mover or the driven unit by shifting the axis of the shaft 23. This phase of the invention is made the subject of a separate and companion application. Y

Having thus described this invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. An engine comprising a base'having a bearing, a casing having a combined inlet and outlet journal shaft journaled in the bearing, said casing having a substantially flatwall and an opposed hemi-spl1erical Wall formed at its center with an opening, said base having an arcuate slot, a bearing adjustably secured in the slot, and a piston Within the casing having a stub shaft ex- 5 tending through. the opening in the casing and journaled in the second bearing.

'2. An engine comprising a base having a bearing a casing journaled in the bearing and having a hemispherical Wall formed at 10 its center with an opening, a bearing adjustably secured to the base for adjustment on an are having a center' common to the hemi-spherica1 wall, and a piston Within the casing having a stub shaft extending through the opening of the herni-spherical Wall and journaled in the second bearing.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at San Francisco, California, this 23rd day of March 1920.

RALPH G. FEAR. In presence of- LINCOLN V. JOHNSON. 

